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Saturday, February 22, 2014

First Kiss: A maelstrom of emotions motivates this first kiss! Into the Land of Shadows @McCaffreyKristy @KMNbooks #firstkiss

The CONTEST has ended. The winner of an ecopy of INTO THE LAND OF SHADOWS is bn100! Congrats!

KAREN:In Kristy McCaffrey's tale, Into the Land of Shadows,
a maelstrom of emotions has Katie's heart thumping, but in Ethan's
arms passion wins out! Read on for a sneak peek at Ethan and
Katie's first kiss!

***Giveaway: Kristy is giving away an e-copy of Into The Land Of Shadows to one lucky reader!

FIRST KISS: Into The Land Of Shadows by Kristy McCaffrey

Kate hid in the shadows at the far end
of the hallway hoping neither of the men would see her. They opened the door to
Harry’s room and went inside. She would have little if no time to escape before
they realized she was gone.

Rufus didn’t completely close the door
behind him. Kate tiptoed as fast as she could past the room she had just
occupied for the last several hours and moved quickly down the stairs, her legs
still aching from misuse.

“Where’d she go?” Clive roared as Kate
ran out into the street.

She looked right then left. The road
was dark, windy, and deserted. The sound of loud thumps on the stairs told her
Clive and Rufus were right behind her. She darted around the building and then
ran behind another. She hustled toward the end of the street.

“Spread out! We’ll git her!” Clive
yelled.

Kate moved around a trading post.
Sensing a presence from behind, she jerked her head around and stared. A
four-legged creature ran past, disappearing. With a hand on her chest she
struggled to calm her breathing. It was
just a dog.

She peeked around the building and saw
Clive walking down the street carrying his gun. Rufus wasn’t in sight. She
needed to find a place to hide but most establishments looked closed. Movement
to the left caught her eye. Joe Tohonnie?
Maybe she hadn’t dreamt him after all.

The shadow moved across the street and
disappeared behind a blacksmith building. Kate ran to the other side of the
street, hunching over in an effort to hide herself. Once she made it to the
blacksmith she glanced around.

“Joe?” she whispered. “Mister Tohonnie?
Is that you?”

No answer but the wind. Kate began
backing up toward the rear of the building, dread gripping her stomach. She
swallowed hard, feeling uncertain.

Staying close to the structure, her
heart wouldn’t stop pounding and her hands were clammy from fear. She swallowed
hard again then turned to run but was caught short, letting out an involuntary
gasp when the four-legged creature cut her off with a growl. The animal’s
yellow eyes glowed by the light of the moon and he watched her with rapt
attention, his body poised for attack.

A wolf.

Another low growl emanated from deep in
the animal’s throat and Kate fought the urge to flee. The wolf’s head easily
came to her chest; he would have no trouble chasing her down and ripping her to
pieces. The gash on her face would pale in comparison to what he would do to
her.

A sudden commotion from behind startled
her. Someone grabbed her. In a frenzy Kate fought back, kicking and straining
against the iron grip the man exerted around her waist. His hold loosened and
Kate fell to the ground.

She grabbed a loose board, and screamed
as she swung it around, hitting the man’s leg. But he didn’t go down. She
scooted backward and scrambled to her feet. The man grabbed her this time,
facing her. Thinking it was Clive or Rufus, she continued to struggle.

“Katie! Katie! It’s me. It’s Ethan.”

He held her tight against the building.
A sob escaped from deep inside her throat, a sudden maelstrom that matched the
wind roaring in her ears, and then Ethan’s mouth was on hers. Hot, insistent,
devouring. She molded into him, her lips and tongue hungry for the sudden and
consuming contact. She pushed her body against his, clinging to his broad shoulders,
desperate to be closer still. He didn’t
abandon me. His mouth crushed hers and she felt on fire, head to toe.

“Rufus, you find her?” Clive yelled in
the distance.

Ethan broke the kiss, and Kate reeled
back against the building.

“Let’s go,” he said and grabbed her
hand, pulling her behind the blacksmith building.

“Wait.” She tugged his hand to stop
him. “There’s a wolf.” Her voice shook—either from the men chasing her, the
wolf challenging her, or the man who had just devastated her defenses with one
kiss. She could take her pick. She’d had a busy day.

“He’s with me,” Ethan said quietly. “He
won’t hurt you.”

The wolf suddenly appeared. “Bart!”
Ethan cocked his head. “Come.”

“Get back here,” Clive yelled.

Kate looked over her shoulder and saw
him in pursuit. He began shooting. Ethan ducked down and pushed her in front of
him.

****Giveaway: An e-copy of Into The Land Of Shadows. LEAVE A COMMENT OR ASK A QUESTION AND YOU'RE ENTERED TO WIN!

New
Release:

Into
The Land Of Shadows ~ Historical Western Romance with Paranormal
Elements

Rancher Ethan
Barstow is weary of the years-long estrangement from his brother, Charley.
Deciding to track him down is easy; not so easy is riding in the company of Kate
Kinsella, Charley’s fiancée.
In the land of the Navajo, spirits and desire draw them close, leading them
deeper into the shadows and to each other.

Kristy McCaffrey
has been writing since she was very young, but it wasn’t until she was a
stay-at-home mom that she considered becoming published. A fascination with
science led her to earn two engineering degrees—she did her undergraduate work
at Arizona State University and her graduate studies at the University of
Pittsburgh—but storytelling was always her favorite hobby. Born and raised in
Arizona, and recently returned after a 20-year absence in Pittsburgh, she writes
Old West romances to capture the landscapes that were such a big part of her
childhood. Her first novel, The Wren,
was a CAPA winner for Best New Author Traditional, a Texas Gold finalist, and a
HOLT Medallion finalist for Best First Book. The Sparrow was the 2012 Winter Rose
Winner in the Published Historical Division. She lives in the Arizona desert
with her husband, where they frequently remove (rescue) rattlesnakes from their
property. Her four teenaged children are in varying stages of flying the nest,
so her two chocolate labs—Ranger and Lily—are the recipients of her maternal
instincts these days.

9 comments:

Kristy, I can't say enough good about Into the Land of Shadows. I often say that I have the best job in the universe--getting to read all these great stories before anyone else does. You created so much "angst" in this story all the way through! I love the cover and it's just perfect for this wonderful tale of yours! Cheryl

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